Hyderabad-based M V Ramachandrudu dedicated nearly 30 years to talking about the environment and sustainability. At a personal level, he always experienced a gap between preaching such practices and implementing them.
In 2011, when he was presented with the chance to materialise his vision, he built a home that embodied his principles of responsible citizenship and sustainable living.
Along with his son Bharani, the civil engineer constructed a home spanning 2,700 square feet using shipping containers and crafted the entire structure from recycled materials.
The duo procured shipping containers from cargo companies and repurposed old steel pipes as supporting columns for the containers.
The container house boasts two bedrooms, a drawing room, two bathrooms, and a staircase. They also opted to use styrofoam as an effective insulating material for the containers.
Interestingly, Bharani has also made a shed from styrofoam. “We first crushed styrofoam and mixed it with cement to make bricks. If the red brick weighs 3.3 kg, the styrofoam one would weigh nearly 2.5 kg.”
“The advantage of using such bricks is that close to 70 percent of the brick is made from scrap; this saves topsoil which is usually exploited during construction,” the 29-year-old says.
The duo also shares that they are planning to register their container home on Airbnb.
In their home, Ramachandrudu has also installed an off-grid solar power system with a capacity of 1 kw. This has reduced their monthly electricity bill from Rs 800 to Rs 80.
Furthermore, he annually collects 40,000 litres of rainwater and redirects an excess of three lakh litres to recharge the borewell.
The father-son duo also make natural cleaners using a blend of bio enzymes, cow dung, and wood ash to avoid chemical cleaners in greywater that is directed to their garden.
Ramachandrudu says, “I am glad my home gave me an opportunity to implement my ideas and transition from advising others to actually doing something.”